


Out of the Rubble

by AndyHood



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: All Human, Angst, Bella can live without a man, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Homelessness, Not your typical Twilight Story, Past Child Abuse, Runaway, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-04-02 19:13:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4071406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndyHood/pseuds/AndyHood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The streets are all Bella knows, ever since she ran away from her abusive mother and step-father when she was twelve. She doesnt know who her dad is, she only has a single pic. Now 16 she has made her way to the state of Washington.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Prologue

The streets are all that I have known, ever since I fled to them when I was 12 years old. Up until then I lived in a house, not a home. For a house to be a home; there needs to be love and there was none where I grew up.

I lived in that house with my mother and step-father. My mother split from my real dad when I was only a few months old. I don't know who or where my real dad is, my mother left when she meet a young man that would have her. Why she took me was a real mystery, I think she did it to punish him like she did me.

My mother doesn't love me, she blames me for how her life turned out. It was my fault why she got fat, why she didn't get the job, or anything else that went wrong. I don't know when the abuse started, I don't have any memories of when it didn't happen. I used to be so jealous of the other girls in school when there mom's would come and pick them up and hug and kiss them. I never had any of that, I had bruises from where she would punch me, and cracked ribs from her throwing me down the stairs. Sometimes she would go overboard and I would have to go to the hospital. She would put on the good mother act and say that her poor little Bella had no coordination, that I could trip on a smooth surface and they believed her.

Things only got worse when my step-loser came into the picture. He would goad her on, she started to hit me. It was him that got her hooked on drugs and alcohol, and when he got high and wasted I would become his punching bag too. The night I ran away was the night he used my back for a human ashtray. My mother had just watched and poured herself another shot of Jack Daniels.

That night after they went to bed, I forced myself to get up, even though the pain threaten to knock me out. I took all the cash they had and packed a bag of food, the only thing else I took was a picture of my real dad that I found one day in my mother's room. It was a photo of him in the hospital, holding me with such love in his eyes.

I wonder how it feels to be loved by someone. I haven't let another person get close to me since I left Phoenix Arizona. I've traveled a lot, working my way north. I'm now 16 and I found my way to the state of Washington. Here people don't stare at my long sleeves I wear to cover the scars. The sun hides behind the clouds a lot, making me blend in with my pale skin. The lack of sun is a comfort; in Arizona it was always sunny. I've heard people say that if the sun is shining, nothing in the world could be wrong, or that a bright sunny day makes a person happy. The sun was always shining on my worst days.

I don't know what made me do it, I've only stole the essentials, but the shiny car with the engine running and the keys hanging in the ignition was just begging to be taken out for a little spin.

 


	2. Caught

Sargent Bradley's day had been quiet; nothing major had gone down that day. Which was unusual for this Seattle but he wasn't going to look at a gift horse in the mouth. He was sitting at his desk drinking coffee and doing some paperwork when the call came in.

There was a knock at his door; Bradley looked up to see Kelley standing in his doorway. Seeing that he had the Sargent attention he held up a file. "Hey Sarg, got a case, it's a real doozy. The victim left his brand new Mustang running with the doors unlocked alone in a parking lot as he ran into the store to buy some milk. When he comes out, he discovers the car gone and he reports it. A car matching the description ran into a light pole six blocks away from the store."

Bradley leaned back in his seat and rubbed his eyes and looked at Kelly. "The perp?"

"She wasn't hurt in the crash. Williams is bringing her in now."

"Good, have Williams put her put in interview 1," said Bradley. Kelly nodded and left Bradley's office. Bradley downed the rest of his coffee and put away his paperwork, so much for a quiet day.

He wondered if people would ever learn that the world was full of crooks and nothing was safe. People were always taking advantage of the suckers of the world. What was the victim thinking leaving a brand new car with the engine running? He sighed and stood up, grabbing his jacket from the back of his seat and shrugged it on before he left his office.

The precinct was mostly empty as the officers were in the field, or catching up on long overdue paperwork. Heading to interview 1, he met Williams outside the door. "What do we have?" he asked looking through the window at the girl withing.

"White Caucasian female, brown hair, brown eyes around sixteen years old. Refuses to give her name, and we found no I.D on her. She was not seriously hurt in the crash, just some bruises from the seatbelt. Medics at the scene say she has a lot of scars on her body, including some on her back that appear to be cigarette burns. We believe that she is a runaway, Sir."

Bradley shook his head, kids running away from abusive parents had been increasing over the years. "Are you running her picture through missing persons?"

Williams nodded, "Yes Sir, we are also running her fingerprints and her DNA in the system. We'll be informed as soon as there is a hit."

Bradley nodded, "If we don't get a hit from her DNA, do a relation DNA test, it's quite possible that if her parents did this they might be in the system." He took the file from Williams, and headed into the interview room.

Bella sat in the chair, staring at the stainless steel metal table. She refused to look at the officer who entered the room. She couldn't believe she had crashed, stupid dog, running out in front of the car she had to swerve to miss it. Her chest was sore from the seatbelt and the air bag. She must have passed out for a few moments. Because the next thing she knew was that the fireman were using the jaws of life and pulling her out of the car.

The police hadn't arrested her immediately, waiting until the medics had cleared her. The medic had seemed interested in her scars, especially the cigarette ones. They had asked about them, but she had said nothing.

The police had cuffed her afterwards and lead her back to the squad car. After they fingerprinted her, and took her DNA, they had left her in this room.

Sargent Bradley took a seat and stared at the girl across from him. She had a long sleeve shirt on, her brown hair was loose with a dyed streak of red in it. He noticed that she refused to look at him. He sighed and opened the file. There wasn't much, only the medical report and the police report. There was also a list of items found in the backpack that was found with her. He stared at the picture that was found, it was of a man that was holding a baby in a hospital room.

He looked up at the girl again, guessing that this was a picture of the girl and her father. He took up a pad and a pencil.

"So, do you mind telling me what your name is kid?"

Bella glanced up at the man, but didn't speak. Bradley sighed "Do you know how much trouble you are in, Grand Theft Auto. You can get up to 5 years in state prison."

Again Bella didn't answer, Bradley waited for a few moments. But it became clear that the girl wasn't going to answer. He decided to try another topic.

"The medics at the scene noticed some strange scarring on you back, do you mind telling me what happened?"

Bella glared at the man, memories of that night coming to the surface of her mind for the first time in years. "My step-father decided to use me as his ash tray one night."

Bradley was shocked, but didn't let it show. He wrote it down, "What did your mother do?"

Bella scoffed, "Nothing, just poured herself another shot of Jack Daniels."

"How old were you when this happened?" asked Bradley.

"12" stated Bella getting edgier with each passing moment.

"How old are you now?," questioned Bradley.

That was one question to many, and she clammed back up. Being under 16 she was still a minor and would be sent back to Renee and Phil. She would rather go to prison than go back to Renee and Phil, and she knew that is what would happen. The State never did anything before and to hell that they were going to do anything now. Bradley saw her determined expression and knew that he wouldn't get anywhere further with her. He collected his papers, not noticing that the picture fell from the file and on to the floor as he left the room. Bella waited until the door shut before getting up and retrieving the picture. It was her prized possession and she was glad that she had it with her. As she looked at the picture of the man she didn't know, she wondered if she had given to much information out. Though she doubted they would get anywhere with the information she had given out.

She rubbed her arms, nervously. It was cold in the room, she looked at the far wall at the mirror, knowing that somebody was probably watching her on the other side. She wished that she never taken the car. But chop shops would have paid good money for that kind of car, and she would have been set for months and she could have continued on her path north. Hours went by and nobody came to question her anymore. She half-way wondered if she had been forgotten about.

Though she couldn't be further from the truth.

Williams kept his word and informed Bradley when he got a hit on the database.

"Sir, we've got a few hits on the girl in Interview Room 1. First we found a missing persons report, and facial recognition confirms it. Her name is Bella Smith (I don't know Renee's last name so I made one up). Her mother filed it four years ago in Phoenix. Arizona , Renee Jones, married a Phil Jones 6 years ago. Both have priors. Medical records show that Bella spent a lot of time in the hospital, from a broken arm to a few concussions, Mother blamed it on the girl being clumsy and the hospital believed them. We also have a hit on the DNA system. A Charlie Swan, Police Chief in Forks Washington, hour and a half away from here, it's her real father and the man in that picture."

Bradley nodded, "Have we contact this Charlie Swan?"

"No Sir," answered Williams, "I wanted to tell you first. I'll get right on it."

"Good, keep me posted." Bradley studied the Jones file, Phil must be the stepfather Bella mentioned using her as an ash tray. He was shocked that in four years Bella had managed to travel thousands of miles, from Arizona to Washington and only an hour and a half from her real father.

* * *

 

Charlie Swan hung his gun belt on a peg in his room. It had been a quiet day in Forks, like most days. Like the house he was in. He had bought this house for his wife just after they were married, they planned to fill it with children and then they had Bella.

It had torn him apart when he found out that Renee had ran off with that man, taking Bella with her. He tried every way to find them, but he never heard from Renee again or his Bells. He shook off his depressing thoughts and popped a microwave dinner into the oven.

The game was on T.V tonight and his best friend Billy Black was coming up to watch it with him. He opened the fridge and popped open a beer and took a sip when the phone rang. He picked it up expecting Billy.

"Hello?"

"Hello" came a man voice from the other end, "Is Charlie Swan?"

"Yes," replied Charlie, taking a sip, wondering if it was another salesman. "Who is this?"

"This is Officer Williams of the Seattle Police Department."

Charlie set his beer down, why was Seattle Police Department calling him for? "What can I do for you Officer Williams?"

The voice on the phone hesitated. "Officer Swan, we have your daughter Bella in custody."

If the beer was still in Charlie's hand he would have dropped it, "You have my Bella?"

"Yes, we ran a family related DNA test on her, and your name appeared. She was arrested today for Grand Theft Auto."

Charlie's mind raced, his Bells was alive, she had stolen a car. "May I come and speak with her?" asked Charlie, barely daring to hope.

"Yes, my Sargent has some problems that he would like to discuss with you."

"I'm on my way" answered Charlie hanging up. He quickly scribbled out a note for Billy and left it on the door. He ran all the way to his cruiser and drove away quickly. As soon as he was out of Forks, he turned on his siren and lights and began to speed towards Seattle. I'm coming Bells, Daddy's coming.


	3. Hello

By speeding all the way from Forks, Charlie arrived in Seattle in under an hour. It was early evening and the evening traffic was light. The Police Department was huge compared to the small building that made up Forks office.

Charlie parked his cruiser, and just looked at the building. He had been in a rush to get here, but know that he was here he was afraid to enter the building. He took a deep breath to steady himself before letting his feet carry him into the office. A young woman was sitting behind the desk when he opened the door. She smiled at him, "How can I help you Sir?" she asked.

"I'm here to see Sargent-" he paused Officer Williams hadn't told him the name of his Sargent. He took a different route, "Officer Williams, I got a call from him earlier today."

"And your name Sir?"

"Charlie Swan."

The woman wrote his name down and then motioned to a line of chairs. "If you will just take a seat Mr. Swan I will go tell Officer Williams that you are here."

Charlie took a seat as the woman left, only to return shortly with a young looking officer. "Chief Swan" he asked as he walked closer. Charlie stood up.

"Yes, are you Officer Williams?"

The man nodded, "Indeed I am, if you will follow me Sargent Bradley would like to discuss the particulars of your daughter's case."

Officer Williams lead Charlie down hallways passing a lot of police men and women along the way until he stopped in front of a door that read Sargent Bradley. A man's voice told them to come in after Williams knocked.

The man behind the desk looked up as they entered. "Sir, this is Charlie Swan. Chief Swan this is Sargent Bradley."

Bradley offered the man his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you Officer Swan." There was no doubt in Bradley's mind that this was the man from the photograph. The handshake that he received was a firm handshake. "Please take a seat."

Charlie took the offered seat across from Bradley, and waited patiently for him to begin. Bradley leaned forward and entwined his fingers looking at the man. "Mr. Swan, I know this might come as a shock but today we picked up your daughter as she wrecked a car she had stolen. She has no major injuries aside from cut and bruises. From the report your ex-wife filed she's been homeless and living off the streets for almost four years. However there are a few questions that I would like you to answer before I let you see Bella."

"Of course what is it that you want to know?"

Bradley clicked his pen and grabbed a notepad. "When was the last time that you saw your daughter, Mr. Swan."

"Fifteen years ago, her mother left me and took Bella with her."

"Have you had any contact with her at all during this time?"

Charlie's expression grew sad, "No, I've never talked to my daughter. Renee wanted to punish me for ruining her life so she took my daughter and disappeared. Might I ask what this has to do with the fact that Bella stole a car?"

Bradley clicked his pen shut, and looked Charlie straight in the eye. "Mr. Swan when the medics examined your daughter after the crash they found scarring all over her skin, including burns from cigarettes. Bella claims that her step-father did this to her when she was twelve."

Charlie gripped the edge of his coat squeezing his fists together until his knuckles turned white. He wanted to hunt down Renee and this husband of hers and hurt them like they did to his Bells. But that was soon replaced by guilt that he hadn't been there to stop it. Bradley waited until Charlie had his emotions under control before continuing.

"There is some good news; the owner of the car has decided to drop the charges. His insurance will pay for the damages. Though that does leave the problem of your daughter, she is still a minor and she was driving without a license. But the court could probably be swayed for a couple of hours of community service. I am also going to have to inform the Phoenix Police who will tell your ex-wife where she is. Other than that the real question is rather or not if you are willing to take her into your home or let the state handle her."

Charlie balked at the idea of abandoning his daughter, "I will take her home with me, but can I see her first?"

Bradley nodded, "I'll have some of my men work on the release paperwork, and I will call you to tell you the court date of her hearing. Williams if you will escort to Interview 1."

Charlie followed Williams out of Bradley's office butterflies floating in his stomach. What would he say to her, what if she didn't want to come with him, these questions bounced all around his head. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts he almost ran into Williams.

Williams smiled at him, "Just knock when you want leave, I will be standing out here."

Charlie nodded his thanks and grabbed the knob, opening the door.

Bella had her arms crossed on the table and rested her head on top of them. She didn't stir when Charlie opened the door. Charlie stood frozen looking at his baby girl, she was all grown up. As he stood there she raised her head to look at him. Her brown eyes meet his and she froze.

Bella couldn't believe what she was looking at. She glanced down at the picture at her father and looked back up at the man, it was the same man. She could hardly breathe as she stared at him, and he stared back. Charlie broke the spell by closing the door behind him and taking a seat across from Bella.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at Bella. "Hello Bella, I'm Charlie I'm-"

"You're my father" whispered Bella, finishing his sentence; she couldn't believe he was here. Charlie looked at her wordlessly. Without another word Bella slide the photo that she had of the two of them to him. Charlie looked surprised at the photo; it was worn, faded, and creased with a corner burnt off. He hadn't known that Renee took this with her when she left.

"I didn't know Renee kept this" he said, whipping a bit of dirt from baby Bella's face.

Bella glared at the table. "She tried to burn it; I had to rescue it from the fire." Bella didn't realize that she was rubbing her hands as she said this and Charlie noticed the burn scars on her hands, and he fisted his hands in anger, glaring at the scars.

Bella pushed the sleeves down on her hands as she felt his glare. She didn't want to discuss what Phil and Renee had did to her. Charlie seemed to sense her discomfort and dropped the subject. They fell quite, neither knew what to say, Charlie wanted to say so much but he didn't know how to say it.

Bella sighed, "What happens now?"

Charlie sighed."Well the man whose car you stole has dropped the charges, but they are still charging you driving without a license. In the meantime, the State is wondering what to do with you. They have to inform Renee that you have been found."

Bella looked horrified, "They're not going to send me back are they, because I'll just run away again. I am not going back there, I'd rather die."

Charlie's heart squeezed in his chest, what had Renee done to his daughter to make her say such things. "I promise Bella I won't let them send you back. I was thinking that you might come live with me. I know that you don't know me, but I haven't stopped searching for you since the day you were taken."

Bella paused, when she was a kid she always imagined her dad coming and taking her away to live with him. Now here he was asking her to come, promising that he wouldn't allow Renee to take her back. As Bella's mind struggled to process everything, Charlie continued to talk soothingly.

"I live in a small town not too far from here, Forks I'm the Sheriff. It rains nearly every day, or at least cloudy. Very rarely does the sun come out. I own a small house outside of town; you would have your own room. Its quiet out there, it's surrounded by forests. There's a high school in town, you could go back to school. The beach is a few miles away, my best friend Billy Black lives there. On good days, you can go surfing, Billy's son Jacob could teach you."

Bella looked up at Charlie, as he paused. "You won't send me back?" She had to know that she wasn't going to be sent back.

Charlie shook his head, "No, I won't."

Bella took a deep breath, "Okay, I guess I can stay with you for a little while." Charlie couldn't help but smile.

It wasn't too long before Williams came back and Charlie signed the release papers. Bella clung her backpack to her chest that had been released as she followed Charlie out of the building. She felt trapped as she sat down in Charlie's cruiser. But it was nice and warm, and soft music was playing in the background that she soon fell asleep.

Charlie drove, occasionally looking over at Bella, he knew it sounded corny but she looked like a sleeping angle curled up in the corner of the car. He was suddenly glad that he turned the room that held her nursery into a guest bedroom; she would have some place besides a couch to crash on when they got there.

It began to rain as the reached Forks city limits, a light gentle rain. Nobody was in town as he drove through. In no time he was in front of his house, he regretted having to wake Bella. He gently laid his hand on her shoulder. "Bella wake up."

He didn't expect her to jerk awake, jumping out from under his hand as her wide eyes took in where she was at, a hand coming up as if to ward off blows. Charlie pulled his hand back and waited for her to calm down. Bella's heart was racing, as she tried to take deep breaths. She didn't allow people to touch her often, and feeling Charlie's hand on her shoulder had sent her mind back four years ago. As she got her emotions under controls, she felt guilt as she looked at Charlie. He looked slightly afraid at her reaction, and sad.

"Sorry" she mumbled.

Charlie shook his head. "Don't be, I just wanted to tell you that we're here."

Bella peered out the car window to look at the house nestled against the forest. She followed Charlie as he lead the way across the yard and into the house. He gave her a short tour as they walked in.

"This is the kitchen, feel free to fix anything you want. The living room in the other room, bathroom here." Bella nodded as she followed him upstairs, "This is my room, another bathroom, and here is your room" said Charlie as he opened the last door in the hallway. It was a decent sized bedroom, plain but it was more then what Bella was expecting. Charlie seemed to sense that she needed some time as he cleared his throat. "I'll get out of your way, I'll be in my bedroom if you need anything. Good Night Bella."

"Good night" replied Bella as Charlie walked out, "Dad" she whispered. Bella looked around the room that Charlie said was hers. She sank down onto the bed, it had been years since she slept on an actual bed and longer since she slept in one that she claimed her own. It was so soft that it lured her back to dreamland.

When Charlie checked on her later that night he smiled as he saw her asleep on top of the covers still fully dressed. He grabbed a spare blanket and gently spread it across her sleeping form before bestowing the lightest of kisses onto her forehead.


	4. Shopping

Charlie woke earlier than usual; he couldn't believe that his daughter was sleeping across the hallway from him. He couldn't help but think about how his life was changing. He really didn't know the first thing about being a Dad, sure he had had a year. But that was with a baby he didn't know how to raise a teenage daughter that had already been through so much in her life. He knew that he would have to take her shopping for some cloths and get her enrolled in school.

But that might be a problem in itself; she had been homeless for 4 years, even before that he wondered if Renee had enrolled her into school. He grabbed his cell phone from his side table and called in a personal day, he didn't want to leave Bella by herself in her first day in a new environment. He quietly got up and got ready for the day, peeking in on Bella before heading downstairs to fix breakfast.

He opened his fridge door and winced at the bareness inside. Being a bachelor he really didn't cook much and his fridge reflected it. He added a trip to the grocery store on his list of things to do. He opened the cabinet door happy to find a box of pancake mix, he pulled out a couple of eggs and a slab of bacon. Turning the heat up he began to make a decent breakfast.

Bella woke up feeling better rested then she had in years, her body was comfortable and warm. She opened her eyes to pale blue walls. It didn't take long for her to remember that she was in a bedroom that Charlie said was hers. As she studied the room, she could almost imagine a yellow crib in the corner with a rocking chair, a horse mobile hanging above the crib. She slowly got out of the bed, really needing to go to the bathroom. She remembered Charlie showing her one next to his room, she grabbed her backpack and found the bathroom. She could hear her Dad down stairs, walking around.

The bathroom was decent sized, having a bathtub and a toilet. Bella gazed at herself in the mirror, she looked dirty. Her hair was tangled and filthy and she had dirt smudged on her face. She gazed at the bathtub, she wondered if Charlie would be angry if she took a shower. She had to force herself to remember that Charlie wasn't Phil, Charlie was gentle and had opened his home to her. She dug into her backpack and drew out a bottle of shampoo she had swiped from a store not too long ago.

She took off her filthy cloths, her eyes avoiding the scars that covered her arms and legs. She turned on the water, turning on the hot water on full blast. She watched as the water turned brown with all the dirt coming from her body. She applied a generous amount of shampoo on her hair and filled the air with the scent of strawberries. She stayed under the stream until the water that washed off of her was clear. Bella felt a hundred percent better as she wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out in the steam filled bathroom. She grabbed her cloths hating to put on them on her clean body.

She froze when she heard a soft knock on the door, "Bella?"

She crushed the fear that rose in her chest, "Yes?"

Charlie shifted from foot to foot, "I have some cloths here if you want something clean to wear, and after you're done, there's some breakfast on the table. I'm setting the cloths by the door if you want to wear them." Charlie set the cloths by the door and headed back down to the kitchen pausing when he heard the bathroom door open and close.

Bella looked at the cloths Charlie had brought, they were clearly his. A red long sleeve shirt, and a pair of black sweat pants that said Forks Police Department along the side. Bella laughed as she looked at herself in the mirror, the cloths hung off her small frame like a tent. She was thankful that the sweatpants had drawstring ties, or they would be falling around her ankles. She slipped on the pair of white socks and opened the bathroom door. The smell of bacon, eggs, and pancakes hit her nose like a freight train, her stomach grumbled loudly.

It had been a couple of days since she had some decent food to eat, she slipped down the stairs silently on her sock clad feet. She peered through the doorway into the kitchen, Charlie was standing with his back to her. He was dressed in a plaid shirt and jeans, she watched as he turned around, he had a cup of coffee in his hand. He calmly looked at her as he caught sight of her peering around the corner of the doorway.

"I hope you like bacon, eggs, and pancakes. I'm not much of a cook, but I can whip up a few things. I've also got milk or coffee if you want anything." Bella studied Charlie with her large eyes before entering the kitchen.

"Coffee's good" murmured Bella, looking down at the two loaded plates of food setting on the table.

Charlie poured another cup, "Sugar, milk, or both?"

"Milks fine." Charlie set the coffee in front of a plate. Bella watched as he took a seat and began to eat, he paused when she didn't make a move to set down.

"Food's getting cold, better set down and eat it"

Bella took the invitation and sat down at the table and dug into her breakfast, she quickly ate everything on the plate, until her stomach begged her to eat no more. She settled back into her seat and sipped her coffee. She had grown to love the stuff, huddled around the campfire along with other homeless people sometimes she would get lucky and someone would have an old pot and some grounds and they would share with everybody. Many a winter's night she had kept herself warm by drinking coffee, sometimes just drinking boiled water. It had gotten worse the further she had gotten North, but it was worth it to escape the sun.

Charlie was the first to talk, "I took the day off, I was thinking that we can go to Port Angeles to get some clothes for you, my cloths don't exactly fit you," he said smiling. Bella looked at the table and nodded not daring to hope for new cloths, she never had new cloths and she didn't expect Charlie would do such a thing for a complete stranger no matter if she was his daughter or not.

Charlie resisted the urge to sigh as Bella's face shut down completely. He didn't know what he had did wrong but he knew that he would have to be patient, tiny steps. He knew that she wouldn't trust him over night but he hoped that one day he will earn that honor.

* * *

 

Bella gazed around the store, she had tried a few times to swipe new clothes off the racks, but her dirty appear generally alerted the store employees just what exactly she was and they often follow her around the store, making sure that she didn't take anything. She looked at Charlie, he looked about as uncomfortable as she felt. The ride to Port Angeles had been very silent and awkward. Not that she blamed him for that, what exactly could they talk about? She had been shocked when he pulled in front of the department store, she almost opened her mouth to ask why they were here, but shut her mouth. Phil always slapped her when she asked questions, and she learn to keep her mouth shut, and she shouldn't complain, this was better than any second hand clothing shop.

Charlie cleared his throat, "Uh, see anything that you like?"

"I get to pick?" she asked, flinching when she realized that she asked a question. She took a few steps away just in case she had to make a run for it. Charlie resisted the urge to go find his ex-wife and find the scum she married when Bella backed away from him like she expected him to hit her for asking a simple question. Instead he gave her a croaked smile.

"I've been informed that I have no fashion sense, so it's your choice. Though I suggest some warm clothing, it rains a lot in Folks and there always a chill in the air."

Charlie felt success as Bella smiled at his stupid joke, before inspecting the racks picking out cloths. At every piece she picked out her eyes would glance at Charlie assessing his stance. Charlie made sure to look causal when she did this. Just as causally he grabbed a watch from a nearby display case, "Bella I have a question." As expected she immediately froze, but Charlie continued before she could do anything. "Do you want to go to school? I know that you haven't had the chance these past couple of years, but there are tutors that can help you get to the level that you need. But if you don't we can figure something else out, I won't make you do something you're not entirely comfortable with."

School, something Bella hadn't thought about in a long time, being homeless and a runaway she only thought about school whenever she saw kids playing on a playground. School used to be a safe haven for Bella, a place to escape her Mom and Phil, she wasn't like the other kids, she enjoyed going to school. And here was Charlie offering her a chance to go back, just like he offered her a home and safety, it was just almost to true to be good. She licked her lips, "I wouldn't mind going back" she said hesitantly. Charlie nodded and set the watch down before looking at the clothes in her hand.

"Well if that is the case, I think you're going to need some more cloths, can just have four outfits. Why don't you give me those you pick out a few more outfits school appropriate before we get the rest of the stuff you need."

Bella was astonished at everything that was picked out, not once did Charlie say no to anything she picked but also didn't complain on how much it cost when they finally checked out. In fact he asked if that was all she wanted. She never thought she would have so much to call her own, new clothes both for everyday and when she would eventually go to school. Charlie made sure that she got everything she needed to be comfortable in his house. Bella couldn't believe how generous he was, and some part of her warned her that there had to be a catch. He would want something in return for all this, tit for tat.

So even though Charlie seemed generous, and she would accept these items, she wouldn't let her guard down. She had to be prepared to run eventually, she could remember when she was a very young that her mom used to be like Charlie but then she met Phil. Who says that might not happen to Charlie?

Charlie thought it had been a productive afternoon, having got what everything that she needed. He didn't worry too much about the cost, he had fifteen years of money he hadn't spent on Bella that he saved, and he wasn't concerned now of what he spent.

He looked over at Bella as he drove home, he could practically see walls coming up around her. He wanted to sigh, he knew that this would a long road to get her to trust the fact that he wasn't going to hurt her. But it seemed that whenever he made a step to do this he ended up two steps back. He decided that it would do more harm if he hovered over her; he still needed to get groceries. Turning onto the Folks exit, he glanced at Bella. "I still need to go grocery shopping, so how about I drop you back off at the house and you can put away your new clothes. Unless you want to go to the store with me" he said, making sure he gave her a choice of what she wanted to do.

"The house is fine" returned Bella, she needed time to accumulate to the new situation, it was a little overwhelming. Charlie helped pack the bags into the kitchen before retreating to the grocery store in town. Glad that Bella decided to not to come, small town people loved to gossip, he had to endure the blunt of the scandal that his wife caused when he ran off with Bella. He wanted to protect her from the gossip as long as he could. Though in a small town nothing was ever kept secret for long.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you like!
> 
> P.S Bella is strong is this fic and can live without a man. Her love relationship will be slow in coming and will not be love at first sight, and she will not immediately trust people.


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